ABSTRACT
In the mid-1990s, a new class of optical fibers emerged: the microstructured optical fiber (MOF). In these fibers, light is guided by a complex microstructure that often, but not always, includes air holes running along the fiber length. The effective refractive index of the cladding can vary strongly as a function of the wavelength of light guided by the fiber. The presence of wavelength-scale holes in microstructured optical fibers leads to challenges in the accurate modeling of their optical properties. A wide variety of techniques can be used, ranging from effective step-index fiber models to approaches that incorporate the full complexity of the fiber cross section. The complex nature of the cladding structure of the microstructured optical fiber does not generally allow for the direct use of analysis methods from traditional fiber theory. Due to the complex spatial structure of MOFs, full numerical simulations are generally required to obtain quantitatively accurate predictions of their optical properties.
